Posts by: Malcolm Stewart

Last series, in the space of only a couple of episodes, Downton Abbey established itself as the pedigree television brand; so now it’s back on our screens, it feels like normal (silver) service has resumed.

If you're clever, and you have the right scripts, it's possible to make a virtue of typecasting by forging a career as a solidly dependable performer who can be relied upon to fill a certain you-shaped niche.

Is Doctor Who the hardest drama on television to write? From comments made by both of its showrunners since 2005, you’d be inclined to think so. But what is it about this programme that makes it so uniquely problematic?